


Fools

by MissSansLee



Category: Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Genre: Gay, M/M, Minor Violence, Post-Lord of the Flies, Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 07:27:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16888215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissSansLee/pseuds/MissSansLee
Summary: It's been eight years since the two boys, Jack and Ralph, have gotten off of the island. Little did they know that re-encountering one another that they might develop feelings for each other





	1. 1

It was eight years before Ralph returned to school. Eight years of living with his aunt in the United States. Eight years since he’d found out that he lost his parents in the war. Eight years since he was rescued from the island. Eight years of trying to stop himself from having flashbacks of the island when seeing certain things.Eight years since he’d been in his home country. He missed England, though he wouldn’t admit it. 

Before the island, Ralph was almost always outside. He enjoyed the fresh air and the grass under his bare feet. After though, he spent most days inside his room. At first it was because he had forgot what it was like to be around a lot of people. He had forgotten how to act properly, but it soon turned into a habit. He spent most of his days reading books and playing with his aunt’s dogs. He hardly went outside unless he had to. His aunt labeled him a “hermit” because of it, but he didn’t really care. It was better to be a hermit than a savage. At least, that’s how he saw it.

“Ralph, it’s time to get up.” His aunt, Anastasia, called up the stairs. Today was Ralph’s first day back to school. Though he was excited the week prior, when he heard his aunt’s call, he was undeniably nervous. Anxious even. Ralph got out of bed with an annoyed sigh. He had been up for an hour, trying to talk himself out of bed. When his aunt called out to him, he finally had a reason. 

This was the fifth school Ralph was going to try to go to. He hated school, not because of the learning component, but because of the people. He was bullied because he acted different than the other kids. He didn’t like to be touched and he hated changing for gym class. He didn’t like being outside and he couldn’t go in the woods without remembering the cry of Jack’s hunters. Upon changing, Ralph cringed at his school uniform. Grey slacks and a white button up shirt with brown shoes. He thought that America would have better school uniforms or something less bland, but he was wrong. While buttoning up his shirt, he saw the familiar scar that Jack had left when he hit him with the spear. The thought made Ralph cringe and shiver, just knowing that if Jack’s aim were any better, he’d been dead a long time ago. 

The bus ride to the high school was anything but peaceful. Children were yelling and jumping from seat to seat. The driver did his best to calm them down, but nothing seemed to work. Ralph sat in the back seat and watched everything going on outside the window. It was a cloudy day, there were small puddles from the previous night’s rain on the concrete. There was a slight chill in the air, encouraging most of the students including Ralph to wear their jackets. The bus driver reached the last stop before the school. 

“Get out of my way, would you?” 

Ralph felt his blood go cold as another student spoke to him. His heart hammered in his chest as he tore his gaze from the window to meet the eyes of the red headed savage who nearly killed him. Ralph had hoped that he’d never have to see Jack again, but there he was. His red hair was cut shorter, leaving the top long to be slicked back with hair oil. He was a lot taller now, still taller than Ralph. He was quite muscular while Ralph was small and almost concerningly thin. Jack looked down at the fair boy with an intense glare. Ralph got up and was quick to move to the seat ahead of Jack, doing his best to avoid eye contact. 

Why was his luck so poor? This school was supposed to be different. He was supposed to start out here with some hope that he’d be able to get over what had happened on the island, but he was wrong. So very wrong. Knowing Jack was at the same school as him would only make it worse. What was he going to do? Ralph sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, it was already going to be a long day.

Jack took the place of the familiar light haired boy. He tried to remember where he had seen him before, but he couldn’t quite remember. He furrowed his eyebrows, thinking back as far as he could, but all he could think of was that god forsaken island. Was it one of the littluns? He looked small enough. Maybe he was just imagining things. 

The bus stopped in front of the high school and let the students off. They all rushed to their awaiting friends while Ralph was one of the last off. He clutched his books to his chest and went to the main office. There was a line of students getting their schedules and to Ralph’s dismay, Jack was right behind him. 

“Ralph Monroe.” He said to the old woman behind the counter. She looked like she had been alive before dinosaurs roamed the earth. Her skin was leathery and her hands had dark spots all over them. Her hair was a mixture between gray and white strands that framed her round, wrinkled face. She was undoubtedly in her 80’s, and how she was still working there, Ralph had no idea. 

Hearing his name made Jack freeze. That was Ralph. The one he’d tried to kill. The one he wanted to behead over something as ridiculous as jealousy. Piggy was Ralph’s  
friend, but Jack was too obsessed with having power to be friends with him. He wanted to be close to Ralph just as much as he wanted him dead. It was a strange concept that kept Jack up late some nights. He didn’t want to admit it, but at the time he had a small crush on the smaller boy. 

“Jack Merridew.” Jack stated and accepted the small white piece of paper. Jack walked alone to his first class due to the fact that none of his friends have shown up yet. He had psychology first period. Jack assumed that they were going to introduce themselves, learn little bit about the course and do whatever they wanted for the rest of the period. That’s what they usually did the first day of school.

He was surprised when he saw Ralph sitting alone in the back of the room while other students sat together talking about their summer vacation. Ralph didn’t really know what to do, so he sat alone. He didn’t know those kids and he was afraid to talk with them. Jack sat down next to Ralph and set his notebooks down. 

“Hey,” Jack said. Ralph could feel his heartbeat quicken at the sound of his voice.

“Hello.” Ralph acknowledged Jack without looking directly at him.

“Was your summer good?” Jack asked awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. He didn’t really know what to say to Ralph, but he wanted to talk to him.

Ralph gawked at Jack with wide eyes before shaking his head slightly looked away. “It was good.” Ralph mumbled before turning his attention back to his notebook. 

“Mine was...swell.” Jack’s voice died out when he saw that Ralph wasn’t very interested in talking to him. 

Jack had tried most of that day to talk to Ralph, but Ralph did his best to avoid Jack. This was proving to be difficult because they had every class together. Not to mention Jack was trying to walk with Ralph in the hallways and insisting that he sat beside Ralph on the bus ride home. 

This happened every day for a month. At first, Ralph tried to ignore him, or try to talk as little as possible. It was hard though because Jack did everything in his power to talk to him. Ralph was afraid of him. He didn’t know what Jack was planning. He didn’t want to risk anything by talking to him or opening up. That was until they bonded over an English project.

In English class, the students had a very difficult time getting along to the point that it was causing stress on their teacher. So, the teacher decided that the only way that they were ever going to get them to stop arguing in her class was to make them write a three page essay about their partner. After a few complaints and groans, she had them all in pairs. 

Each student had to interview one another, and the teacher just so happened to pick Ralph and Jack to be partners. Ralph sat on the corner of his seat, his leg was bouncing and he had no idea what he was going to ask Jack. Jack, on the other hand, was quick to question him. Though to Jack it wasn’t just about the project. He genuinely wanted to get to know who Ralph was as a person. 

“What do you like to do in your free time?” Jack said, his pen ready to write Ralph’s response. He had a friendly smile on his lips, but Ralph was hesitant to think it was real.

“Read.” Ralph mumbled under his loud classmates. He looked down and started fiddling with a button on his shirt. “What about you?”

“I draw.” Jack said, his smile faltered. He drew all the time, but they weren’t very pretty pictures. Most of them were memories from the island. He had notebooks full of pictures of Piggy, Simon, and Roger. He drew what he thought the beast was. Once, he even drew the beast as himself.

“That’s interesting.” Ralph finally looked up at the pale boy in front of him. “I didn’t take you for an artist.” 

Jack chuckled. “Not many do. It’s just one of my hidden talents, I suppose.” 

That was the first time that Ralph smiled at him, a real smile. Not the fake or awkward smiles he would give to try to hide his fear. Jack smiled back at him before they continued their project. Ralph hadn’t sat fully in his desk, nor did he feel comfortable with Jack then, but he thought that maybe they could be friends. 

Eventually, Ralph became more fond of Jack’s presence. He was less tense around him. He found himself laughing at his jokes and even willingly working with him as a partner on some class work. He smiled more when he was with him. Sometimes, he’d even blush when they talked. Jack enjoyed talking to Ralph. He thought that he was a very unique kind of friend. His other friends preferred to play soccer and go outside more than anything, but Ralph was the opposite of that and to Jack, it was like taking a breath of fresh air. 

By the second month, the two boys were hanging out after school, but Ralph couldn’t help but feel the need to have some closure. He needed to know why Jack turned everyone against him. It had been bothering him for eight years and he finally had the chance to find out what was really going through Jack’s head when he had tried kill him. It was eating him alive being so close to someone who he knew could easily turn on him, again, and hurt him.


	2. 2

Ralph found himself knocking on Jack’s front door, tapping his foot impatiently. It was a Saturday morning and the cold air nipped at Ralph’s skin through his thin jacket. He had hoped that Jack would answer the door but he was poorly mistaken when it finally opened.

“Jacky is up in his room, Ralph.” Jack’s younger cousin said when he answered the door. Ralph nodded and went up to Jack’s room. The door was closed and he was almost afraid to knock. His palms were sweaty and his breathing was erratic. His hand shook as he raised his arm to knock softly on the door. 

“Come in.” Jack called through the door. Ralph pushed against the wooden door. Jack felt his heart beat a little faster upon seeing the smaller boy in his room. He smiled at Ralph and invited him to sit next to him on his bed. Ralph sat down and swallowed hard.

“Can we talk about something?” Ralph almost whispered. Jack furrowed his eyebrows at Ralph’s uneasiness.

“Of course. Is something wrong?” Jack asked. 

“It’s ,uhm, a-about the island.” Ralph stammered. “I just have a question.”

“Okay.” Jack said softly, failing to keep eye contact with his friend. 

Ralph took a shaky breath. “Why did you try to kill me?” He rushed the words out as if ripping a bandage off. 

Jack bit his bottom lip, his heart was pounding and he had no idea how to answer the question without spilling his feelings for him as well.

“I was being a stupid kid.” Jack lied. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“That can’t be it.” Ralph said, standing up. “You can’t just use that for an excuse. You tried to murder me after you murdered Piggy and Simon.” He was almost yelling. 

Jack stood up and towered over Ralph. “I was jealous!” He yelled. He was hurt that Ralph would say such things to him, even if they were true. He had never been good at handling his emotions, so he lashed out at Ralph,“I wanted to be close to you but I wasn’t! I wanted to be your friend, but I wasn’t. Piggy was! I was jealous, is that what you wanted to hear?” His tone was venomous. He was furious that they had to have this conversation, but he knew this day would come eventually.

“So you tried to stab me?” Ralph shot back. “You threw a spear at me because you were jealous? ” This time, Jack didn’t answer. He didn’t have one.

It was quiet. The only sound was their ragged breathing. They stood there, staring each other down before Ralph shook his head and turned to leave. As he grabbed the door handles, he felt Jack grab his upper arm. Jack spun the smaller boy around and pressed his back into the door. Jack pressed his chapped lips to Ralph’s smooth ones. Jack’s hand held Ralph’s face as they kissed. Jack pulled away and rested his forehead against Ralph’s. “Please don’t leave.” He whispered. 

Their hearts were pounding. Ralph sucked in a breath, not looking at Jack. Jack’s heart clenched. He watched Ralph’s blank expression, silently begging for him to say something. He wanted to know how Ralph felt. He wanted him to stay. 

Ralph finally looked up at Jack. Jack’s eyes were glossed over with tears, some already had started to spill down his cheeks. Ralph gently brought one of his hands up and wiped away his tears with the pad of his thumb. 

“I won’t.” Ralph whispered, cupping Jack’s face. He stood on the tips of his toes and brought Jack into another passionate kiss. Ralph’s cheeks turned red and he felt his stomach doing flips. Jack felt as though the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders as the fair boy kissed him. 

All too soon, Ralph pulled away from Jack. They didn’t say anything, both afraid of ruining the moment with an awkward statement. They both just looked at each other. Ralph took in Jack’s features for what felt like the first time. He could see the light brown freckles that scattered across Jack’s cheeks and the darker pink in his lips. His eyes were bright blue, and instead of them holding an intense glare they showed affection and kindness. Ralph almost couldn’t believe it. 

Jack broke the silence first, asking Ralph if he wanted something to eat. Ralph bobbed his head and they awkwardly went down to the kitchen. Jack’s younger cousin, Leonard sat at their dining room table, scribbling with pens on a blank sheet of paper. 

“I’m going to be an artist like Jacky.” Leonard squealed at Ralph. This made Ralph chuckle a bit. 

“You do that.” Ralph smiled and continued into the kitchen. Jack pulled out two plates and a loaf of bread. 

“Is a sandwich okay with you?”Jack was trying his best to act normal, but it was difficult for him. He didn’t know how to act. He’d just kissed his friend on the lips. How is one supposed to act after that?

“Yeah, that’s okay.” Ralph hoisted himself onto the tall counter top and sat down with his hands in his lap. Jack glanced at the boy and smiled softly. He cut both sandwiches into triangles and added a small amount of potato chips on the side. Jack slid the plate over to Ralph and hopped up next to him. “Do you think that our psychology project will get a good grade?” Ralph wondered out loud.

“I hope so.” Jack mumbled through a mouth full of peanut butter and jelly. “We worked ages on it.” 

Ralph nodded his head. They sat in silence again, but this time it was less awkward. Ralph swung his feet softly and finished his sandwich, he slid his plate away with the untouched chips.

“You don’t like crisps?” Jack asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I’m not very fond of them, no.” Ralph replied, his cheeks tinted pink and he slowly sunk back. 

“That’s okay.” Jack assured him, gently taking his plate and dumping the chips onto his own plate. “I’ll just eat them.” Ralph smiled at him.

“Do you think I could ever see your drawings?” Ralph asked. Jack’s chewing paused and he tensed ever so slightly. His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“One day.” He said. Ralph nodded his head, not wanting to push Jack. He wouldn’t want Jack to do that to him.

Jack sighed and set his now empty plate down. He wiped his mouth while sliding off of the countertop. Ralph was about to do the same, but Jack stopped him by standing in between his small legs. Jack was now eye level with the fair boy. He gently put his hands on Ralph’s thighs. “They mean a lot to me, okay? I just don’t want to scare you away because of them.” Jack said, his voice was low and serious. Ralph nodded his head slowly, glancing down at Jack’s lips. 

“You could never scare me away.” Ralph whispered. Jack smirked at the small boy, gently rubbing Ralph’s thighs. He gently grabbed the backs of his knees and pulled him forward so their chests were close together. Ralph’s breath hitched in his throat. 

“Is that so?”Jack leaned forward, his lips just barely brushing over Ralph’s.

“Yeah.” Ralph’s voice was hardly audible. 

They were interrupted by the front door slamming open. “Jack are you home?” He heard his dad call. The two boys jumped apart and Jack quickly went to aid his father. Ralph slid off of the countertop and put the plates in the sink. He turned to see Jack’s father holding a brown paper bag full of groceries. This made Ralph tense. He’s only met his father a handful of times before, but Ralph had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that his father wasn’t very fond of him. 

Jack walked in next to his father, Gregory. They were carrying brown bags with groceries. Jack resembled his father in many ways. Both were well built, Jack was almost as tall as Gregory was, but not quite. Gregory’s hair was more rust colored while Jack’s were a deep orangey red. Jack had freckles, but his father did not. Ralph assumed that Jack might have inherited them from his mother instead. While Jack’s eyes were dark blue, Gregory had dark brown eyes. 

When Gregory stood, he was well over a foot taller than Ralph, and the scowl didn’t make Ralph feel anymore welcome.

“D-do you need help with those, Sir?” Ralph stammered. He felt his heartbeat quicken when Gregory rolled his eyes.

“No, I think we can handle it. Wouldn’t want you to break a nail.” Gregory grumbled. His voice was deep and made the back of Ralph’s neck tingle in fear. Ralph nodded his head and stood out of the way while the other two put the groceries in their rightful place.

Jack didn’t like the way his father was towards Ralph. His father had the poor boy afraid for his life anytime he was around. He wanted to hurry with helping his father so that he can take the anxious boy to his bedroom. When Jack glanced over at Ralph, he could practically see him shaking. His cheeks were tinted pink and he had his bottom lip between his teeth. His chest rose with every breath he took and Jack could tell that he was panicking. This made his stomach clench. He didn’t know why his father hated the boy, but he wasn’t willing to start the conversation. 

Ralph let out a quiet sigh of relief when Jack asked if he wanted to go back into his bedroom. He followed the taller boy to his bedroom and shut the door quietly behind them.

“I’m sorry.” Was the first thing that Jack said. 

Ralph forced a smile and sat on his bed. “It’s okay, Jack. Don’t worry about it.” To that, Jack sighed. He sat down next to the fair haired boy and took Ralph’s small hand into his own. Neither of them really said anything after that. They just sat in silence.


	3. 3

Ralph woke up to his aunt’s dog barking outside his door. He dragged himself off of his mattress and wrapped a smaller blanket around himself. It the beginning of November and Ralph couldn’t wait for the snow. The house was now colder in the mornings and evenings. The chill made him smile softly.

As he opened the door, he was knocked over by the large creature. His paws pinned his shoulders down as he licked all over Ralph’s face. 

“Bruno, stop.” Ralph laughed, using his legs to roll himself over. Once his ear was exposed he knew he’d made a bigger mistake. Bruno nibbled and licked over his ear, making Ralph shriek and squirm away. 

“Ralph dear, please hurry. The bus will be here in twenty minutes!” His aunt called. Ralph quickly shut his bedroom door to get changed into his uniform. 

He clomped down the stairs while pulling on his jacket. He never slept this late, but maybe it was because he spent most of the night and early hours of the morning reading a novel.

“Sorry that I’m up so late,” He said while shoving half a piece of toast in his mouth. He chewed it quickly and swallowed it while rushing with his nice shoes. 

“Don’t scuff those up, Ralph,” Anastasia warned.”I haven’t got the money to buy you new shoes.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Ralph said, grabbing his notebooks. “I’ll see you after school!” he calls as he rushes out the door. The bus is already waiting there with the school’s name printed in black bold letters. Ralph climbs on and cautiously makes his way to the back seat, resting his head against the cool glass. He was undoubtedly tired and all he wanted to do was climb back into bed and go to sleep. He didn’t understand how he could be tired all day but so restless during the night. It made no sense to him. 

Ralph’s head shot up when he felt someone sit next to him. He looked over to see Jack smiling warmly at him. Ralph smiled back, greeting him with a quiet, “Good morning.” 

“You look awfully tired,” Jack said. Ralph nodded and went back to resting his head on the window. “Did you get any sleep last night?” Jack was genuinely concerned about the smaller boy. Jack gently took Ralph’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Ralph shrugged his shoulders. All his energy was used to get dressed and drag himself on the bus. Jack sighed, knowing that Ralph was probably only asleep for an hour before he was woken up.

“I don’t want to go to school,” Ralph mumbled sleepily. His voice was soft, almost a whisper.

“You can nap at my house after,” Jack offered. “Or I’ll do the work in psychology today and you can rest?” 

Ralph nodded his head and pulled his knees up to his chest, pulling Jack’s hand closer to his stomach. Jack smiled at the tired boy, admiring how adorable he looked curled up on the bus seat. Jack unzipped his jacket as quietly as he could and gently took it off, leaving his hand in a sleeve so that he wouldn’t wake Ralph. He laid his jacket on Ralph, cooing softly when Ralph snuggled into it.

***  
Ralph’s heart was pounding in his chest. He was crashing through the bushes as he tried to escape. He could almost feel them grabbing at his legs, the shouts and hoots were all around him. The fire licked at his arms and chest, burning his skin. If he didn’t die by the hunters, he would certainly burn to death. At that moment, he thought burning would be better than getting caught in the hands of Jack and his savages.   
“I’ve found him!” He heard Roger, his leg was grabbed and suddenly, he was being dragged out of his hiding place. Above him stood the hunters, with evil in their eyes and crooked smiles on their faces. He couldn’t even recognize them anymore. They were painted and cut up. They looked like true monsters.

***  
“Ralph, wake up.” Jack panicked, gently pushing at the boy’s shoulders. Ralph woke with a start, jumping away from Jack. He was shaking with fear. “Hey, are you okay?” Jack reached for him, but drew his hand back when Ralph winced. 

“S-sorry.” Ralph said, trying to keep himself calm. “I had a bad dream but I’m okay now.” Jack nodded his head, skepticism written on his features. Ralph handed Jack his coat and they quietly exited the bus. Ralph held his books tightly to his chest as they walked through the overcrowded hallways of the high school. Psychology was on the first floor, near the cafeteria, making Ralph a little happier. Ralph didn’t want to talk to Jack after having that dream, but he didn’t want to just leave him. It didn’t make him a good friend, at least that’s what he thought.

“Ralph, are you sure you’re alright?” Jack asked, placing a hand on Ralph’s shoulder. Ralph awkwardly shuffled away, nodding his head. This made Jack’s chest ache. He knew something was up with the boy, but he didn’t want to push him too much in case he decided he didn’t want to be Jack’s friend anymore. 

But were they friends after they’d kissed?

Ralph put his head in his hands. He thought about telling Jack his dream, but he didn’t want to drone on about how scared he was on the island. It seemed that Jack had gotten over it, so he thought that it was in his best interest to get over it as well.

The psychology teacher droned on during the lesson, encouraging the students to take notes because most of the material “would be on the test”. This made Ralph and Jack groan. They, like any other student, despised tests. They knew what they were talking about, they participated in class, they even got high nineties on their projects. To them, they didn’t think that a test would be necessary.

***  
“Ralph, you can either pay attention or leave.” Mr. Jackson, one of the three history teachers in the high school, snapped harshly at the fair boy. Ralph stared at the older man with wide eyes. He usually was one to pay attention during history, but he could hardly keep his eyes open long enough to finish writing his name on their worksheet. 

“S-sorry, sir.” He stuttered out quietly. He looked up at the clock and was happy to see only five minutes left of this class and he could leave the school. He had already phoned his aunt, informing her that he would be at Jack’s house until eight o’clock. He planned on taking a nap once he’d got there, but he was sure that he’d end up having a nap on the bus as well. 

The ring of the last bell made Ralph snap his head up. He had hardly done anything but drift off all period, so he had to do the worksheet for homework that night. He didn’t mind though because he knew that he would be up anyways.

Ralph greeted Jack on the bus, the boys sitting in their usual seat at the back of the bus. 

“I need a nap.” Jack sighed, rubbing one of his eyes.

“Me too.” Ralph yawned, resting his head on Jack’s shoulder. Jack wrapped an arm around Ralph and leaned his head on top of the smaller boy. They were going to be one of the first stops, but they still had a few minutes before the driver called for Jack’s stop. 

“Is your dad going to be home?” Ralph whispered. Jack shook his head. Jack knew how afraid Ralph was of his father, so he always invited Ralph over when his dad wasn’t going to be home for a while. He didn’t like seeing Ralph afraid; it broke his heart. 

“Are you okay?” Jack asked. Ralph nodded his head and yawned again. Jack laced their fingers together and looked out the window at the rain. He liked this kind of weather because it reminded him of his home country. It reminded him of his grandmother’s warm cookies and treats from when he was younger. 

“Jack Merridew!” The bus driver called. The two boys rose and climbed off of the bus. 

Ralph collapsed on Jack’s bed and inhaled deeply. He felt Jack lay down next to him and scooted away for him to have enough space. Jack saw this and pulled the boy closer to him, smiling when Ralph cuddled into his chest. 

“Hey, Jacky-” Leonard squealed as he opened his door. He froze when he saw the two boys. Leonard saw Ralph fast asleep and corrected his loud behaviors so he wouldn’t wake him. Jack’s breath caught in his throat, thinking that Leonard would say something about this to his father “Jackie, I drew you a picture.” Leonard whispered loudly. He held a picture of what appeared to be a cat.

“Wow, Leonard.” Jack praised quietly, smiling wide at the small boy. “You can put it on my desk if you’d like.” 

Leonard’s eyes gleamed with happiness. He clomped over to Jack’s desk and set it on top of Jack’s school binder. Leonard was just about to leave when Jack grabbed his arm and pulled him closer.

“Don’t tell my dad, okay?” Jack pleaded, gesturing to him and his friend cuddling on his bed. Leonard just nodded his head, confused why it was against the rules to cuddle a boy, but he wouldn’t say anything if Jack didn’t want him to. Leonard quietly exited the room, leaving the two boys to peacefully nap.  
***  
Ralph was the first awake when Gregory slammed open Jack’s bedroom. Ralph was quick to get off of Jack and give them a lot of space. Jack sat up, confused at first on why Ralph had done so. That was until he saw his father standing in the doorway with clenched fists. 

“What are you doing?” Though his voice was calm, Gregory was clearly angry with his son. Jack felt his heart pounding. He could feel his palms and ears get hot; he knew he’d been caught.

“N-nothing, Sir.” Jack stammered. Gregory stomped over to the two boys and roughly grabbed Ralph by the back of his shirt, scratching him as he did so. He ripped Ralph off of the bed and threw him onto the floor. 

“I will not have a faggot around my son.” He yelled. Ralph scrambled to his feet, feeling his heart slamming against his ribs. “GET OUT!” Gregory roared. 

“Dad, stop-” Jack tried.

Gregory pointed a finger at Jack. “I wasn’t talking to you.” He growled. Ralph had quickly gotten to his feet and was leaving as quickly as he could, ignoring the stinging on the back of his neck. Jack got up and tried walking out the door, only to be blocked by his father. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Gregory’s chest puffed out as he crossed his arms over them. Jack couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eye. His father was the only person that scared him. He hated the man because of it. 

“You’re staying in this room for the rest of the night. And if I catch you around that faggot again, I’ll have your head on a pike.” Gregory threatened. Jack swallowed hard. He wasn’t going to be able to stay away from Ralph. He knew that, but he would just have to stop bringing him over to his house. 

“Yes, Sir.” Jack said, lowering his head in mock shame. His father turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him. Jack sighed and plopped himself down in his desk chair. He smiled when he saw the picture of the cat Leonard had drawn for him. He picked it up and put it in his desk drawer with the rest of his own art work. He then saw that Ralph had left his books. There was his psychology textbook, his book for English class, and a brown leather covered book he always scribbled in. On the cover, Ralph’s initials were indented into the leather and colored in with black pen ink. He took the book and sat on his bed with it. 

He knew it was an invasion of privacy, but he couldn’t stop himself from opening it up and looking over the ink covered pages. The first page had a drawing of what appeared to be a map of the old island. It was sloppy, of course. The boy wasn’t a very talented artist, but Jack could make out what he drew easily. On the top right corner in his perfect handwriting was ‘Hell’. Jack flipped the page and started reading the first entry.

***

Ralph’s hands shook as he took in ragged breaths. He’d had to stop on main street because he could hardly breathe. He was sitting against the bricks of an old building. The dull light from the sign shined on his pale skin. He kept his knees close to his chest as he tipped his head back. He couldn’t stop thinking about what might be happening to Jack. Would his father hit him? Would they be yelling? Was Jack okay? He felt his chest tighten more as he choked on his tears. 

“Are you okay?” A woman said to him. He looked to his left and saw the woman was standing in the entryway of what seems to be a coffee shop. She went over to Ralph and crouched down next to him. “Are you alone?” She asked. Ralph nodded his head. “How about you come inside for a coffee and a croissant? It’s on me.” 

“O-okay.” Ralph’s voice came out hoarse and shaky. He let the nice woman help him up and walked in with her. The shop was empty and rather warm. The smell of fresh coffee filled Ralph’s nose and he felt himself relaxing. She sat him in a stool by the counter, sliding him a croissant. 

“How do you take your coffee?” She asked as she pulled out a large white mug.

“Could I have a hot chocolate instead, please?” Ralph said quietly. The woman smiled at him. 

“Of course you can.” She said. “My name is Laura by the way.”

“I’m Ralph.” The fair boy replied. 

“So, what seems to be the problem?” She asked as she set the mug of hot chocolate in front of him. 

“My best friend’s dad hates me.” Ralph confessed. He didn’t know why, but he found himself explaining everything to Laura. He’d never really talked to anyone like this before. He never was one to spill his feelings out to anyone, let alone an entire stranger. Laura sat there listening to him ramble on his whole life story without talking at all. Just soaking in the information. She was trying to make sense of it all, as was Ralph. 

“And then his dad threw me out, calling me a faggot.” Ralph finished. It’d been a whole hour of him talking. He’d hardly touched his croissant. 

“So what are you going to do about it?” Laura asked.

“I’m not sure.” Ralph sighed. His head was pounding and he could hardly sort out his thoughts. “Probably go home and sleep.”

“You have trouble sleeping though.” Laura pointed out.

“Then I’ll read. I’m not sure. I might write in my journal.” That was when he realized that he’d left it at Ralph’s house. 

***

Jack had snuck down stairs after his father went to bed so he could get a glass of water and a sandwich. He was sat in the center of his bed only wearing a pair of plaid pajama bottoms. He ate while reading Ralph’s journal. He was on the tenth entry. Some of them were four to five pages long while others were only a sentence or two. 

‘ I had another nightmare today. It was the same as it always is. Jack and the savages were hunting me on the island. Smoke filled my lungs and choked me. I was trying desperately to get away, but Roger caught my foot. I was dragged out of a tree while they chanted about killing me. Though every time they said the chant, their voices sounded deeper and more distorted. They dragged me to the fire and threw me in it. I could feel the sticks jabbing into my ribs. I thought I was going to die. ‘

Jack knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he didn’t want to stop reading. Reading this was the only way he could actually know how Ralph felt over these few years. He didn’t know what he’d done to the boy. He didn’t know that he was the reason for him staying up late at night. He didn’t know that he was the reason why he was so jumpy anytime someone would touch him. Knowing that he was the reason for this, made Jack hate himself. He felt like he didn’t deserve any of the nice things Ralph had said to him.

He kept reading though. One entry after another. It was getting later in the evening, but Jack could care less. He wanted to finish it, but he wasn’t willing to skip any parts to get to the end. He needed to know everything. 

‘ I saw him today. It was probably the scariest moment I’ve experienced since the Island. At first I didn’t believe it. I thought that I was just seeing things, but then we had to check into the school and I heard him say his name after mine. Jack Merridew. I thought I was going to have an episode right there in psychology. He sat next to me the whole time; he even tried talking to me. I did my best to keep myself away from him, but he would not shut up.’

The last line made Jack’s chest tighten and a breathy laugh escape his lips. It wasn’t the last time that Ralph wrote about Jack talking to him. It was almost comical at how annoyed he was at Jack when they’d first reconnected. He found himself laughing at a good amount of them, until one in particular made him stop.

‘Would it be insane of me to have feelings for a boy? Especially for a boy who just so happened to have hurt me around eight years ago? Would it be worse if I told you that boy is Jack Merridew? I don’t understand how this could have happened. I mean, I hated him. I hated him with every bone in my body, but suddenly I can’t get him out of my head. Every time I’m around him, I feel my heart beating faster. I can’t help but laugh at his terrible jokes or smile when he says my name. 

My aunt says that it’s normal to develop feelings for people we’re close to, but I’m not so sure. I know that Jack and I are close now, but I don’t think that he could ever have the same feelings for me. He likes women, like every other boy in our school. ‘

Jack felt his heart swell as he read this. He couldn’t wipe the smile from his face as he turned the page to continue reading.


	4. 4

Ralph stepped out of the rain and through the threshold of his aunt’s house. His nice black shoes squeaked against the hardwood floor while his wet slacks made small puddles of water around them. He shrugged off his black jacket and laid it across the metal heater under the coat rack. Ralph didn’t expect to be out this late, but then again he did decide to have hot chocolate with a complete stranger and tell his whole life story to her. He was glad that his aunt hadn’t waited up for him so that he would have some time to himself before he got lectured in the morning. 

He didn’t bother changing out of his school uniform. He just plunked himself down onto his bed, not caring that he was getting the blankets wet. Ralph was tired. Too tired to deal with anyone or anything. He was too tired to worry about homework or his aunt’s awaiting lecture or even his journal. He just wanted to sleep, and he didn’t care that he was cold and wet. 

***

“Ralph Cornelius Monroe, you’d better be awake young man!” His aunt was furiously tapping at Ralph’s bedroom door. Ralph had shot out of bed and opened the door without any hesitation. 

“Where were you last night? I told you to be home by dinner time and you came home well past twelve!” She shrieked. Never has she had to yell at Ralph like this before. He was usually home all day after school, but ever since he’d started going around to Jack’s house, she noticed that her nephew was becoming more careless. 

“I’m sorry, I fell asleep over there.” Ralph lied. “I didn’t know I was asleep that long until his dad woke me up to tell me to go home.”

His aunt eyed him up and down. “If you hang out with him, I want you home at six o’clock every school night.” She said in a warning tone. 

“Yes ma’am.” Ralph replied quickly. It wouldn’t be that difficult to follow this rule now because he wouldn’t dare go back to Jack’s house. He didn’t want to risk getting himself or possibly Jack hurt. “Can I get dressed now?” He requested.

His aunt didn’t say anything; she just turned on her heel and went back down the stairs. Ralph sighed and shut his bedroom door. He checked the time on his alarm clock before deciding he had enough time for a shower before the bus came. 

***  
Ralph was nervous when he got on the bus. He knew that Jack’s stop would be coming up after the next one and he didn’t know what to expect. He hoped that he was okay, but he had this fear that Gregory might have hurt him. What was he supposed to do if that happened? It wasn’t like he could defend him, he wasn’t physically strong. The thought of going near Jack’s father again terrified him. 

He was pulled from his thoughts when the bus pulled up to the curb outside of Jack’s house. Ralph stared out the window with wide eyes when the front door didn’t open. Where was he? The bus driver waited another minute, but he didn’t come out. Ralph’s fingers twitched as the bus pulled forward. He wanted to yell for the driver to let him off so he could go check on Jack, but he held his tongue. 

Ralph leaned back in his seat, panicking silently. What was he supposed to do? He wouldn’t be able to see him after school, that was obvious. Would he be in school tomorrow? He could ask then. 

He raked a hand through his wet hair as another sigh left him. 

Jack had rushed out the door in a hurry. He was late and it was a twenty minute walk to the high school. He had both his and Ralph’s books under his arm as he rushed down the sidewalk. He knew that he shouldn’t have went to sleep with only an hour before his alarm. He knew there would be consequences, but he did it anyways and now he was an hour and a half late for school. He was hoping that he would make it on time for his chemistry test. He needed to take that test in order to bring up his grade. 

Just as he entered the high school, he crashed into someone. His books were scattered everywhere as he glared harshly at the younger student. Jack bent down to collect his and Ralph’s books off of the floor while the other student walked away without helping. It didn’t matter too much to Jack because he had all of them picked up quickly. He caught sight of a clock hanging on the wall in a classroom, realizing that it was third period, he headed to his rightful class. 

“Mr. Merridew,” The teacher said with an annoyed tone. “How kind of you to join us, please have a seat.” Jack felt his face go red as he mumbled an apology to his teacher. He quietly took his seat in the middle row and pulled out his notebook. He didn’t have Ralph with him in this class because Ralph was taking another one this period. 

Jack leaned forward in his seat and pretended to pay attention, when really he was looking at the clock behind the teacher. It ticked silently, but the sound was drowned out by the teacher’s lesson. 

***

Ralph’s leg bounced impatiently while he sat in his honors English class. He thought that he’d saw Jack walk by the door, but he wasn’t sure. He kept looking at the clock, counting down how many minutes and seconds he had to wait until he saw Jack. At this point he had exactly one minute and thirty three seconds left of his class and he was sure that the teacher wouldn’t stop teaching at the bell, something that Ralph despised more than anything. The bell was there for a reason, teachers needed to understand that sometimes students needed to go to their next class for important things like tests or to make sure your best friend didn’t get beat up by their parent. 

The ring of the bell made Ralph jump slightly. He grabbed his small stack of papers and waited for the other students to start exiting before he did. The hallway was crowded and people seemed to be moving slower than normal, only irritating Ralph further. He just wanted to make it to his locker to get his chemistry supplies and go to his next class. 

Once he made it to his locker, he let out a breath of relief when he saw Jack standing there with an arm full of books and a smile on his face. Ralph looked him up and down, trying to see any if he was hurt in any way. 

“You left these at my house,” Jack said as he handed him his journal, English notebook, and psychology textbook. “Are you feeling alright? You look pale.”

“Are you alright? Your father was furious last night.” Ralph couldn’t help but continue to look Jack over. 

“I’m fine,” Jack said, still concerned about Ralph. He looked more pale than normal, his nose was slightly pink and he had red rimming the skin of his eyes. He raised his hand and pressed the back of his palm to Ralph’s forehead. He felt really warm. “What time did you get in last night?” He asked as they started walking to class.

“Somewhere around twelve.” Ralph replied. “I stopped at a coffee shop for a little bit and ended up walking in the rain.” 

Jack sighed at this. “You can’t just do that, Ralph. You’ve gotten yourself sick-”

“I’m not sick.” Ralph said. “I’m fine.”

Both of which were lies. Ralph was, in fact, feeling very unwell and he was not fine. He was stressed to the point of complete frustration. He was upset that Jack had gotten to school late, upset that he was so worried about his redheaded friend, and upset that he had a big test next period. He wanted to yell at Jack, but he knew that it would be entirely pointless because Jack didn’t know how Ralph felt. It wasn’t fair to him.

“Ralph would you please slow down?” Jack said. Even though he was tall, he had a very hard time keeping up with the small boy. Ralph, however, didn’t hear Jack’s plea and continued on through the sea of children.


	5. 5

Throughout the rest of the day, Jack and Ralph hardly spoke. Jack didn’t know what to say during their free period or lunch. Ralph, however, was feeling too tired and sick to try to engage in any conversation. He answered his teachers with as few words as possible, and even then they came out slow. Jack was tempted to go to the office to phone Ralph’s aunt for him, but decided against it when he realized that she must be working.

“Can I come over?” Jack asked Ralph as they stood at their lockers. The last bell had already rung, and they needed to get on the bus soon if they didn’t want to walk in the rain. 

“Sure, but I don’t think I’m going to be awake the whole time you’re over.” Ralph shrugged as he shut his locker door.

“That’s okay, I don’t mind.” Jack smiled.

They rushed from the front doors out to their bus. The rain pelted them, soaking their hair and dampening their clothes. When they sat down, Jack gently took Ralph’s hand in his own. His own milky skin contrasting ever so slightly at Ralph’s less pale skin. 

“You scared me today.” Ralph confessed, his eyes meeting Jack’s. “That’s why I was upset earlier.”

“Scared you?” Jack raised an eyebrow at him. Ralph nodded his head.

“I thought your dad might have hit you or something.” Ralph looked down, feeling a blush creep onto his cheeks. “I thought you were really hurt.”

Jack felt his stomach do flips. He hadn’t really questioned why Ralph was really upset, but he didn’t think it would be out of worry. Though it made him happy in a way, knowing that Ralph cared for his well being. 

“Hey, look at me.” Jack said softly, cupping Ralph’s cheek and making him look up. “I’m okay. I promise.” 

Ralph’s cheeks burned a darker pink as he looked up into Jack’s eyes. If he weren’t on the bus right now, he might have kissed him. “O-okay.” He stammered. Jack brushed his thumb against Ralph’s cheek. He smiled at the fair boy, knowing what he was thinking about. 

Jack drew his hand away from Ralph’s face and let it rest in his own lap. Ralph was the first to look away because he felt embarrassed for looking at Jack for so long. 

“Merridew!” The bus driver called.

“I’m going to Ralph’s sir! I told you that!” Jack called back. The bus pulled forward with a deep grumble. The rest of the students talked loudly over each other, ignoring the driver’s pleas to get them to quiet down. 

“Monroe!” The driver called, the two boys climbed out of the bus in a rush. Ralph knew his aunt wouldn’t be home to make dinner for another three hours, but that didn’t bother him. He enjoyed the idea of having Jack and him being the only ones home. 

“What homework did we have?” Jack asked as they walked to the door.

“Psychology if you didn’t finish it in class.” Ralph replied. He was the only one out of the two who actually used his agenda to write his assignments in. “Unless your English teacher gave you guys an assignment today. Mine didn’t.” He leaned over to untie his shiny black shoes. Jack didn’t untie his though, he just slipped them off of his feet. 

“If my teacher did, I don’t remember.” Jack shrugged his shoulders. He, unlike Ralph, didn’t worry much about his grades. He was happy with any passing grade. Whereas Ralph would be upset with anything below an eighty.

“Are you thirsty?” Ralph asked as he led the tall boy into the kitchen.

“A bit yeah.” Jack said. Ralph opened a cabinet and reached for a glass on one of the higher shelves. He stood on his toes and sighed quietly at the height of the cupboard. Jack saw his struggle and went to his aid. He gently put his hand on Ralph’s waist and reached for the glass. Ralph had stopped trying to reach for the glass and let Jack bring them down. He turned around, his face about the height of Jack’s chest. Jack looked down at Ralph, smirking as he set down the two glasses on the countertop next to them. 

“Thanks.” Ralph said softly, his eyes flickering between Jack’s eyes and his lips. Jack squeezed his hip gently and leaned forward, capturing Ralph’s lips in a kiss. They let their eyes shut as they moved their lips in sync. Ralph wound his arms around Jack’s neck, deepening the kiss. Jack cupped Ralph’s cheek and slid it into Ralph’s wavy hair, gently gripping the ends. Ralph’s hands slid down to Jack’s chest, gently pulling him closer by his uniform shirt. 

Jack pulled away from the kiss and helped Ralph pull himself onto the counter. Jack stood between his legs and attached his lips to Ralph’s throat. Ralph tilted his head to the side and rested his hands on Jack’s broad shoulders. Ralph bit onto his bottom lip, blushing as a small groan managed to escape him. Jack sucked a hickey into Ralph’s skin before pulling away.

“Jack?” Ralph breathed. Jack hummed in response. “What are we?”

Jack felt his stomach drop. He hadn’t thought much about this subject. Well, he had, but he didn’t think they would need a label. They were best friends, but they kissed? They weren’t dating, not really. They hadn’t gone on any dates. Would Ralph want to be with him? Or would he reject the idea of a relationship? He wanted to know this himself, but he didn’t want to risk asking for a relationship only for it to ruin what he and Ralph already had.

Ralph looked at Jack, waiting patiently for an answer. He could feel his heart rate pick up at the thought of Jack lashing out at him. “You don’t have to answer me. I’m sorry.” He whispered, looking down at his fingers. Jack placed his hands over Ralph’s.

“Do you want to get dinner with me Friday?” Jack asked him. “I know that’s not really an answer, but-”

“Sure.” Ralph said, a small smile appearing on his lips. Jack sighed with relief. “Can I get down now so I can get us something to drink?” 

“How about instead of that, I get them and you go lay on the couch. You look exhausted.” Jack suggested. 

Ralph mumbled an, “Okay”and got down from the counter. He sauntered to the living room and turned on his aunt’s television set. It took a moment for the picture to come in, but when it did, Ralph felt a little happier. The program playing was The Munsters, one of Ralph’s favorites. He plopped down on the couch and curled his legs up to his chest as he leaned his body onto the arm. 

Jack came in holding the two glasses filled with orange juice. He handed one glass to Ralph as he sat down on the couch next to him. Ralph kept his eyes on the show he was watching, but Jack couldn’t pay attention to it. Not because it was boring, but because he couldn’t tear his eyes from the handsome boy next to him. His eyes followed the line of Ralph’s jaw up to his wavy blonde hair. He watched Ralph’s adam’s apple bob when he swallowed his drink.

Ralph saw Jack staring at him. “Why are you looking at me?” He asked softly. Jack looked away, feeling a blush dust his cheeks. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to zone out.” Jack scratched the back of his neck nervously. Ralph just smiled at him.


	6. 6

Ralph’s aunt came home that evening to see Ralph’s head in Jack’s lap while he snoozed quietly. Jack was still watching The Munsters while he absent mindedly played with Ralph’s hair. Anastasia leaned over the back of the couch to speak to Jack so she wouldn’t wake her sleeping nephew.

“Are you staying for dinner, Dear?” Anastasia asked Jack quietly. 

“If it is okay with you, I’ll stay.” Jack whispered. “I don’t want to impose.” 

Anastasia smiled warmly at the boy. “You’re welcome to stay anytime you please.” 

“Thank you.” He smiled. Anastasia gently squeezed his shoulder and disappeared into the kitchen to make dinner for the three of them. Jack brushed Ralph’s hair away from his face. He felt extremely lucky in that moment. He knew they were yet to be in a relationship, but knowing that Ralph trusted him enough to sleep with him made Jack feel like he was on top of the world. He hoped that the date Friday would go over well because if he messed up with Ralph again he didn’t know how he would handle it. 

“Jack?” A soft voice broke Jack’s thoughts. He looked down at Ralph and smiled at his tired expression. “Did my aunt come home?” his voice was breathy and quiet. 

“She’s cooking supper now.” Jack whispered. “You can go back to sleep, it’ll be a while.” Ralph nodded his head and rolled over, burying his face in Jack’s stomach. Jack smiled wide at the fair boy, admiring his adorable quirks. He rested his hand on Ralph’s shoulder, the pad of his thumb rubbing the white fabric of his school shirt. 

***

The rest of the week seemed to fly by to Ralph and he found himself rushing around his room on Friday with a towel wrapped around his waist as he searched for something decent to wear. 

“Ralph, he’s going to be here soon, you need to get dressed!” His aunt said as she walked up the stairs. She sighed at the boy and rubbed her forehead. 

“Go comb your hair and I’ll find clothes for you.” She ordered. Ralph nodded his head and turned to go back into his bathroom. His aunt quickly found a white button up shirt and black jeans for Ralph. “Wasn’t that hard.” She mumbled to herself. She set the clothes on the edge of the sink as the doorbell rang. Ralph groaned to himself and shooed his aunt away so he could dress himself.

Jack stood at the doorstep anxiously tapping his foot against the concrete step. He was wearing a blue flannel buttoned down and loosely tucked into his jeans. He held a white rose in his clammy hand. Ralph’s aunt answered the door and he smiled at her.

“Is Ralph ready yet, Ma’am?” Jack asked politely. 

“He’ll be down in just a moment if you’d like to come in.” She stepped aside and let him into her house. 

“Did Ralph wait until last minute to get ready, again?” Jack asked. Anastasia chuckled and nodded her head.

“He’s quite the procrastinator.” She replied. They continued on with their small talk until Ralph came down the stairs in the clothes his aunt picked out for him. Jack smiled at the smaller boy with admiration evident in his features. Ralph smiled back, his dimples indenting his cheeks.   
“Ready to go?” Ralph asked. 

“Yeah, um this is for you.” Jack said handing Ralph the white rose awkwardly. Ralph smiled and accepted it. 

“Thank you.” He giggled before turning to his aunt and asking her to put it in some water. The two boys left the house, walking along the sidewalk to the diner Jack decided on going to. He was nervous that Ralph wouldn’t like going to a diner and would prefer something fancier, but what he didn’t know was that Ralph was happy as long as he was with Jack. 

Since they already knew most things about each other, they had light conversation about school and other little things. Jack was in the midst of talking about his latest art project when Ralph found himself admiring the little things about his date. The way his eyes lit up when he explained what colors he used and for what reasons, how his smile seemed to grow the more he rambled. 

Once they finished with their dinner, the two boys went to a nearby park. There was no one around the park, but they didn’t really expect anyone to be because of how late it was in the evening. The sun was almost down completely, casting a shadow over the park. The boys found themselves on the old rusted swing set, gently swinging back and forth. The chains creaked under their weight, filling the air with quiet clunking and squeaking. 

Jack started swinging high, Ralph followed his lead. They swung higher and higher as they laughed loudly. They sky had started turning navy blue and the moon had already began to show through the darkness, bringing them a bit of light to the pair. 

“Jump with me.” Jack called.   
“No way.” Ralph laughed. “We’re too high.”

“We’ll be fine, I swear.” Jack said. He swung back. “On three, okay?” 

Ralph agreed, going against his better instinct for the first time in a while. 

“One,”

The air whistled around them.

“Two,” 

They laughed again, white steam coming from their mouths as they exhaled.

“Three!” 

The two boys launched themselves from the swing set, falling onto the cold damp grass. They roll onto their backs, laughing childishly at their own actions. They were just an inch apart, their arms almost brushing together. 

“Ralph?” Jack asked, looking over at Ralph. Ralph’s eyes met Jack’s. “Do you think that you’d, maybe, be my boyfriend?” He felt his cheeks heat up. He didn’t feel confident asking Ralph this, but he knew he needed to ask him now. 

“Sure.” Ralph was just as embarrassed as Jack. His face was bright red, but it went unnoticed in the darkness of the night. Jack sighed in relief, feeling like a large weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. 

***  
Ralph sat in the center of his bed that night, his hair was a mess and his outfit that he wore was thrown sloppily into his hamper. He pulled out his journal and a pen, ready to update what was going on with him and Jack. It had been nearly two weeks since he’d updated it. 

He flipped through the pages, occasionally stopping to read a entry or two. He finally flipped to the page he’d left off on; however, something caught his eye. There was foreign handwriting in his journal. He looked over the messy print and furrowed his eyebrows. It was at least two pages long, mostly apologizing over and over. He felt his stomach in his throat as he read the last few words.

Yours truly,  
Jack

He stared in shock at the book. Jack read his journal, all of it. Ralph couldn’t remember when he might have left his journal in the care of Jack. He furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to remember, when it suddenly hit him. He left it with Jack at the beginning of the week by accident. 

“Oh no.” He gasped as he ran a hand through his hair. He knew. He knew everything since Ralph was fourteen. That was when his aunt had purchased the journal for therapeutic reasons. He wasn’t much for explaining what he felt out loud, so he wrote it all down. Now, he regretted it. Jack didn’t need to know what he felt constantly, and he definitely didn’t need to know of the embarrassing things he was called in the other schools he attended. 

He shut the book and put it on his bedside table. He didn’t know what to do with himself in that moment. He sat there and stared at the wall trying to come up with a way he would approach the situation. Should he wait? They only just became official, and he didn’t want to come off as a crazy boyfriend. Maybe he should give it a week or two before he mentions anything. By then would it matter though? Is it a big deal that he read it? He did invade Ralph’s privacy in a way. It was rather rude to just snoop through his personal thoughts.

The hours passed as Ralph sat there debating with himself. The sun had started to rise and there he sat in the same cramped position as the previous night. His muscles were sore and he knew he’d need to stretch them out, but he had no motivation to do such. His aunt had tried to call him for breakfast before she went to work, but Ralph didn’t respond. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn’t even heard her leave.

Jack knew everything, and Ralph didn’t want him to.


	7. 7

Jack knocked once before opening the door to Ralph’s house.He had his sketchbook under his arm and one of his drawing pencils tucked behind his ear. He stepped inside and slid off his shoes so he could place them neatly on the shoe rack next to Ralph’s. He called out Ralph’s name, but didn’t get an answer. He shrugged it off, thinking that he was reading or maybe sleeping. He climbed the stairs to Ralph’s room and tapped lightly on the door. 

“It’s open.” Ralph’s voice was just barely heard through the thick door. Jack opened it to find Ralph sitting on his bed, staring at the wall ahead of him. His back was hunched over as his chin rested on his knuckles. There were bags under his eyes and a blank look to his features. Jack gawked at Ralph, not sure what to do right away.

Ralph turned his gaze to Jack and he moved to pick up his journal. He held it numbly with one hand, making Jack swallow hard.

“You read my book.” He said. 

Jack felt a surge of panic as he started to babble out an excuse as to why he read it, but the truth is, he didn’t even know why. He just did, but he didn’t know if that was an appropriate answer. Ralph listened to him for a few moments, but soon raised his hand to make Jack cease his rambling. 

“This book is very personal to me. I wish that instead of snooping through it that you had just asked me something. You trust me right?” Jack nodded. “Then come to me, don’t snoop through my things.” He said. His voice was stern, but not aggressive in anyway. 

“I’m sorry.” Jack said. Ralph only nodded his head, showing that he didn’t quite forgive him yet but would accept his apology for the time being. He didn’t think that it was okay for Jack to take it upon himself to read his journal, but he didn’t want to continue to act angry when he really wasn’t. 

The two sat in silence for a few minutes until Ralph noticed a hardcover book in Jack’s hands. “What’s that?” Ralph asked.

Jack felt his cheeks heat up as he handed Ralph his book. “I wanted to show you some of my art work, or at least the stuff I could sneak out of the house without my dad getting suspicious.” He said. “You asked the other week if you could look at some, so I brought you my previous sketchbook.”

Ralph smiled at Jack being so shy of his art. It wasn’t often that he saw that side of Jack because of how confident his personality is. “Are you sure?” Ralph asked, holding the book carefully.

“I went through yours, so it’s only fair.” Jack said. Ralph opened the cover of the book and read over Jack’s scratchy handwriting. It had the month and year in which he got the book. The first few drawings are of still lifes, mostly jars or a variety of household objects. There was one page of practicing hand and arm positions. Ralph was about to turn the page, but Jack put his hand out to stop him.

“They um, they start to get gory around this point.” Jack warned, a blush dusting his cheeks. 

“Oh, okay.” Ralph nodded his head and turned to the next page. There was a drawing with a small boy; he knew his face but not his name. There was a mark shaded into the side of his face. 

“Who-” Ralph furrowed his eyebrows. “Who is this?”  
“That’s the little boy,” Jack said. “That’s the little boy with the mulberry birthmark.” Ralph furrowed his eyebrows.

“Was he on the island?” He tried to think of which littlun he was. 

“He was the first one to die, but the only one who took notice was Piggy.” Jack explained. “There was that big fire, then after I broke his glasses.”

Ralph nodded his head and turned the next page. This picture was drawn in color with exceptional details. It was a large dragon like creature standing on its hind legs, wings expanded as smoke escaped from it’s nostrils. The body was more snake like, gently curling around a boulder. The scales were colored black with sharp, yellow teeth. In the top corner, Jack had scribbled ‘The Beast’. 

“This one is really good, Jack.” Ralph said. It was a lame response, but anything he had said to describe the picture would not have done it justice at all. He continued to flip through the book, his eyes scanning over the pages. Jack was nervous most of the time, knowing that there was a possibility that Ralph would react poorly to some of his pictures. Ralph paused at some, asking questions now and again. 

 

***  
That night, Ralph’s aunt came home early from work. She slammed open the door, calling for both boys after seeing Jack’s shoes next to Ralph’s on the shoe rack. She had a crinkled flyer in her hand, slightly damp from the rain. The two teens came running down the stairs, Ralph still in his pajamas from the night before and Jack in his regular clothes. 

“Do you two want to go somewhere next weekend? It’s a bit out of town, but I can drive you if you want to participate.” She rambled, handing the flyer to Ralph. It looked like it was written by hand and copied on a photocopier. It was for a protest movement. 

“You want us to protest?” Jack asked, furrowing his eyebrows. “For gay rights?”

“If you want to, I thought you might be interested.” Anastasia said. 

“There’s going to be a lot of people there.” Ralph said. “And maybe even police. Are you sure you want us to go there?”

“As long as you don’t do drugs or cause trouble, then I’m okay with it.” Anastasia shrugged. “But I’m not going to force either of you to go.”

Ralph nodded his head, pondering if he should take a risk for once and go or stay home. “I’ll have to think about it.”

“I’ll go if you go.” Jack said. 

Ralph perked up a bit at this idea. “Let’s do it then.” He smiled.


	8. 8

Ralph walked through the halls of his high school, desperately trying to get to his chemistry class before he was late. He was almost running, not exactly paying attention to where he was going. He rounded a corner and bumped into a rather tall man. He was just over six foot, his hair cut exceptionally short. There was a small amount of stubble on his slim face. He had a nervous look in his eyes, but a kind smile as he assisted Ralph in picking up his school supplies. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Ralph rushed as he gathered his things. “Thank you for helping me Mr…”

“Matthews.” The man said. “Mr. Matthews. I’m new here, do you think you could show me to the honors English room, please?” His tone of voice wasn’t panicky like any normal substitute teacher running late, it was more of a calm or relaxed sound. Ralph eyed him for a moment before responding.

“It’s back that way, take a left, room one-oh-three.” Ralph said, gesturing the way with his thumb. Just as they were about to part ways, the bell rung. Ralph groaned and made his way to Chemistry. He slipped into the classroom and took his seat at the shared lab table. Jack glanced at Ralph as he took out his notes. Ralph payed attention during the teacher’s lesson, but Jack couldn’t seem to focus on anything except his boyfriend. 

He opened to a new sheet in his notebook and started drawing. He occasionally looks up at Ralph and adds more detail to his picture. Jack kept his arm between his drawing and Ralph so he wouldn’t be scolded by the smaller boy for not paying attention in class. The period seemed to fly by and just before the bell, Jack had a picture of his boyfriend drawn in his chemistry notes. 

***

“Are you coming over tonight?” Ralph asked once they’d gotten seated on the bus. 

“I can’t.” Jack sighed. “Dad wants me home for some dinner thing with his boss. I have to dress up and act like I care about becoming a businessman when I’m older.” He rolled his eyes.

“Yikes.” Ralph cringed. “That sounds awful.” 

“It’s so annoying. He does this at least once a month.” Jack huffed. “I think he’s trying to get a raise or something, as if he doesn’t make enough money as it is.” 

Ralph nudged Jack. “If it makes him happy, you should at least try to let him enjoy it. Maybe to you it’s enough, but to him he sees it differently than you do.” Ralph said gently. He didn’t like Gregory all too much, but he didn’t want Jack to despise his father for doing something that made himself happy. “Besides, it’s not going to kill you to eat one meal with him. You eat with Aunt Annie and I every other night.”

Jack sighed. “You’re right.” Ralph smiled at his boyfriend, about to lean up and kiss him, but he quickly realized where they were and how many people were around. He could get into trouble for kissing a boy in public. “I just wish he didn’t have to make such boring conversation.” 

Ralph shrugged. “It’s what adults do. One day you’ll have kids and then they’ll think the same thing.” 

“MERRIDEW!” The driver called as he pulled up to the corner. Jack bid Ralph goodnight and got off of the bus. Ralph pulled out the book he was reading, The Spire by William Golding. He found himself easily getting lost in the book and reading nearly a whole chapter within a what felt like a few minutes. However, he almost didn’t hear his name being called as the bus stopped at his house. He rushed inside and switched on the lights. 

It was quiet in the house, something Ralph wasn’t used to anymore. He’s usually accompanied by a certain red headed boy until after dinner with himself and his aunt. He turned on the radio in the kitchen and grabbed a cookbook from the top of the spice cabinet. 

The Beatles played in the background as Ralph mixed together the ingredients to make brownies. It was something he’d thought about earlier that day and hadn’t gotten off his mind since, so instead of pestering his aunt to make him some he made them for himself. 

“Ralph I’m home!” Anastasia called. She could smell chocolate and hear faint music through the house. She quietly walked to the kitchen and watched as her introverted nephew danced around the kitchen, singing along to Alabama Song by The Doors. She smiled at him.

“I tell you we must die-” Ralph spun around and screamed at the sight of his aunt. Anastasia covered her mouth, trying to hide her laugh. Ralph’s face turned bright red as he covered his cheeks. “Sorry you had to see that.” He said awkwardly. 

“What are you cooking?” Anastasia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Brownies.” Ralph replied. “I got bored.” 

“So you cook when you’re bored now? What happened to reading.”  
Ralph shrugged. “Guess I didn’t feel like it.” Just then, the timer Ralph had set went off with a soft ring. The boy put on his aunt’s oven mitts and pulled the brownies from the hot oven before switching it off. 

“Aunt Annie,” Ralph said, setting the tray down. “Why do you want us to go to that protest?”

Anastasia didn’t answer right away, trying to find the correct wording for what she wanted to say to him. “I want you guys to go because what the people in office are doing is inhumane. Wouldn’t you like to be able to show Jack affection anywhere you want? The way they have it set up, you can get a ticket for kissing a boy in public. Wouldn’t you want a better future for generations to come?” 

Ralph nodded his head, understanding what his aunt was saying. “But the crowd would probably be really big.” Ralph felt his chest tighten with anxiety. 

“Jack will be there in case anything happens. You don’t need to worry about that.” She said, entering the kitchen fully now. 

Ralph turned away from her and opened the cupboard. “Have we any frosting?” Ralph asked, quickly changing the subject. He reached up for the chocolate frosting and pulled it down. 

A loud knocking on the front door made Anastasia jump. She approached the door and looked through the peephole to see who was creating such a ruckus. There, standing in the chilly evening, was Jack’s father Gregory.

Anastasia opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind her. 

“Good evening, Gregory. Is there something you need?” She said politely, pushing back her hatred for the man before her. 

“I’m here to talk about your nephew, Ralph.” He responded in a professional tone. “I do not want him being associated with my son.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I think you know what I’m talking about.” Gregory replied. “The homosexual tendencies your nephew forced on my son-”

“Ralph did nothing like that.” Anastasia snapped. “Your son has been willingly spending time with my nephew, and there was no forcing of any kind.” 

“Ever since they started spending time with each other, my son has not been the same. He’s gay now and it’s your nephew’s fault.” Gregory spat. “I do not want Ralph around Jack anymore.” With that he turned on his foot and made his way to his car. Though, just before he got to the sidewalk he slipped on a wet patch in the lawn and fell onto the concrete, scraping his cheek when it hit the jagged ground. Anastasia stifled a laugh as she turned around and went back inside her house.

“Why was Gregory here?” Ralph asked.

“Be careful hanging out with your boyfriend now.” She warned. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but he just came over to tell me he doesn’t want you two to be around each other anymore.”   
Ralph stared at her as anger started to bubble in his chest. Ralph took a deep breath and headed up to his bedroom. He couldn’t believe that Gregory had the nerve to try to split them apart again. He was finally happy and could finally trust someone, but that someone’s father just had to be a homophobic jerk. He paced the length of his room in silence as he let his thoughts consume him.

Jack stood in front of the bathroom sink, a damp hand towel pressed to his bloody lip. Coming out to his father could have gone better, but it could have definitely been worse. He moved the cloth and inspected his bottom lip. It was busted on the side, the bleeding had subsided and there was a light bruising, but luckily no swelling. How was he going to explain this to Ralph? ‘Oh yeah, I came out to my dad, but he hit me’ That wouldn’t go over so well. Maybe telling his boss over a business dinner wasn’t exactly a smart idea.

“Are you done in there, Boy?”Gregory called through the wooden door of the bathroom, pounding on it once with his fist. 

“Yes, Sir.” Jack said monotonously. He opened the door and quietly slipped past his father to his room. 

“JACKY!” Leonard squealed from Jack’s bed. “I made this for your friend!” He held up a drawing that he had made. He shoved it at Jack, eager for the elder boy to see his new picture. It was a little better than some of his past drawings. It was what looked like Jack and Ralph holding hands next to his house. Jack smiled at his little cousin and ruffled his hair.

“Good job, bud.” He said. His voice was scratchy from the argument he’d gotten with his father on the way home from the restaurant. He felt his heart swell in pride the more he looked at the picture. “I’ll be sure to give it to him.


	9. 9

Jack’s heart pounded as he opened his window. It was nearly four in the morning and he had to be over to Ralph’s before his father woke up. The ladder he had set up earlier was still next to his window. He adjusted his backpack and gently eased himself onto it and climbed down with ease. He pulled it down and leant it against the house in its appropriate place. He smiled as he made his escape.

It was only a twenty minute walk, but the chilly air made it seem like it was going on forever. The stars were still out, along with the bright half moon. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, making the sight even more beautiful. Jack shivered, rubbing his hands together and walking faster. 

Jack, knowing where the key to the front door was hidden, let himself into Ralph’s house and slipped off his shoes. It was warm in the house, making him shudder as the cold slowly ebbed away. He crept up to Ralph’s room to find the boy sitting at his desk. His feet were propped up on the desk and an opened book was held in his hands. His blonde hair was a mess, probably from Ralph pushing it out of his eyes so much. 

Ralph looked up from his book and smiled at his boyfriend. “Good morning.” He said quietly.   
“Did you even sleep yet?” Jack asked. Ralph shook his head and marked the page in his book before closing it. He got out of his seat and stretched out his sore limbs. 

“We have a couple hours before we go.” He said, climbing into his perfectly made bed. “Come lay with me.” 

Jack climbed into bed with his boyfriend, allowing him to cuddle up to him. Jack rested his hand on his lower back, rubbing small patterns with his thumb. Ralph nuzzled his head into Jack’s neck, breathing in his cologne. Jack shivered at Ralph’s light breathing. 

Jack bit his bottom lip, raising his free hand to tilt Ralph’s face up. He softly placed a kiss on his lips, enjoying the warm feeling he got in his chest. What started out as a regular kiss, soon got heated. Ralph found himself on top of Jack, leaving open mouthed kissed down his neck. 

***

After well deserved showers, the boys made breakfast for themselves and Anastasia. Well, Jack made breakfast and Ralph watched him from the table. They were quiet for the most part, only sharing glances and blushy smiles. Once Anastasia made her way downstairs, the food was being plated by Jack while Ralph poured drinks. 

“Boys,” She said to them. “Do I need to buy condoms?” This statement made Ralph tense up, his face turning an embarrassing shade of red.

“Uh, I um.” His voice came out squeaky. “I think I can get them myself, Aunt Annie.” Jack stood silently, averting his eyes from Anastasia’s. 

“I made breakfast.” Jack offered awkwardly. “It’s just eggs and sausage, but um, yeah.”   
Anastasia sat down, amused with the boys’ uneasiness around her. She accepted the food that the boys made then quickly got her things together for the hour long car ride. 

***

It was rather warm for mid November. The temperature was well over seventy degrees and the boys were almost tempted to wear shorts, however Anastasia wouldn’t allow them to do so because she believed that the temperature might not be the same in the city. She was correct, however it was only the slightest bit chillier in the city. 

“Call the home phone if anything happens okay?” Anastasia told them in a caring tone. “Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.” They bid Anastasia goodbye and made their way towards the protest. 

When they approached the protest, they had not expected what they saw. They thought there would be a handful of people, hand made picket signs, maybe some chants to say. They were very wrong. It looked less like a protest and more so like a parade. There were over a hundred people there on mainstreet. Music was being blasted through gigantic speakers. Jack grabbed Ralph’s hand, intertwining their fingers as he started walking through the enormous crowd that had gathered on the sidewalk. There were people of all kinds there. Gay men, lesbians, drag queens and more. Ralph looked around clinging to Jack for dear life. 

“Are you okay?” Jack asked, his lips close to Ralph’s ear. 

“Yeah, I-I’m okay.” Ralph stuttered. Jack wrapped his arm around Ralph’s waist, pulling him closer. 

“I won’t let anything happen to you okay?” Jack promised. “Just let me know if it’s getting too much and we’ll find someplace quiet.” 

 

Ralph nodded his head, taking a deep breath. They watched the parade-like protest go on. There were some people selling shirts or other merchandise with rainbows on them. Jack had pulled them off to the side to check some of it out. He ended up purchasing matching shirts for the pair. Ralph kept his eye out for police, not wanting to get caught and fined for being at a protest like this. 

What caught Ralph off guard, was how many couples there were. He had no idea that there were so many people interested in making same sex marriage happen. It felt as if time had stopped for him. He finally was able to take in the movement that was happening that day and he was proud to be a part of it. He saw people posing with their significant others for pictures, men wearing dresses and makeup without the judgement of others, and the joy of people being around each other. It was that moment when he felt his anxiety being pushed down and when he started to truly enjoy himself. 

As the day went on, more people came to the protest. The whole street was blocked off by people’s cars. The music was changed several times and the couple found themselves singing and dancing to it along with some other people. They were having a great time laughing with each other. That was the most Jack had ever seen Ralph smile. There was a twinkle in the fair boys eye when he reached up and grabbed Jack by the back of his neck. He stood on his toes and brought Jack’s face forward, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. There were hoots all around them as their lips met. Jack smiled into the kiss, enjoying the throb in his chest. 

Just as they pulled away, people started rushing around. At first, Ralph was confused but then he saw them. The police approaching them quickly. Jack grabbed Ralph’s hand and started running with the rest of the group. They didn’t get very far because an officer grabbed a hold of Ralph. Ralph let out an ear piercing cry as the officer ripped him away from Jack. Jack, without a second thought, punched the officer.


	10. 10

Ralph panicked as Jack was forced into the back of a police car. He was hiding in a nearby diner, sitting at a booth next to the window. His hands shook as he watched them drive away. He looked around for a telephone, praying that the diner had one he could use. He didn’t see one in sight so he decided to go up to the counter and ask. He rehearsed what he was going to say in his head a few times before being brought to the empty break room where the phone hung on the wall.

He dialled his aunt’s home phone, waiting anxiously for her to answer. She picked up on the fourth ring. 

“Hello?”

“It’s Ralph, something happened.” His voice was shaky as he tried his best to hold back tears. 

“What happened?” 

“Jack got arrested for assaulting an officer, I need you to come and bail him out.” He said.

Anastasia paused before answering. “Ralph, we don’t have the money to bail him out.” She said. “I don’t get paid until next week-”

A tear trailed down Ralph’s cheek. “Take it out of my college fund then! I don’t care we need to get him out-”

“Ralph we can’t do that!” Anastasia cut him off. “I really enjoy having Jack around the house, and I support your relationship, but I will not throw the money your father left specifically for your college career away!”

“I don’t care.” Ralph sobbed. “We need to get him out of there! He doesn’t belong in jail, Aunt Annie.”

“I’ll talk to you about this when I get there, tell me where you are right now so I can come and get you.” Anastasia said. Her word was final and she did not want to argue with Ralph over the phone. Ralph told her the name of the diner and hung up the phone. 

He slid down the wall until his bottom touched the floor. Tears streamed down his face as he tried desperately to get himself together. He was all alone in the city, his boyfriend was in jail and he didn’t know how to help him. Gregory was going to kill him when he found out, but he wasn’t so scared of Jack’s dad. It was more of a fear for what he would to do Jack. Would they actually have to call it quits? 

Ralph stared forward numbly at that thought. He wasn’t ready to just let go of Jack and didn’t think he ever would be. He stopped wiping the tears as they kept coming because there were too many. They dripped down his chin and onto his shirt. His vision was blurred as he took shaky breaths. He could almost hear Jack telling him to calm down, something he’s had to do a time or two before they became official. That didn’t help him; it only made him even more upset.

After a long silence there was a knocking at the door. Ralph wiped his face and swallowed hard. “Yeah, come in.” Ralph’s voice came out hoarse, almost unrecognizable to his own ears. The door swung open to reveal his aunt and the kind waitress who led him there. Anastasia helped him up and guided the boy out the door, thanking the woman who allowed her nephew to stay there for the hour. 

The car ride home was quiet. Anastasia felt her heart break for Ralph as he sat, staring forward. His usually bright eyes were now dim and red. He had run out of tears to cry, so he was just sitting there feeling the pain in his chest. He didn’t want to go home. He wanted to bail Jack out. He didn’t care what the cost was, he’d give anything to bring him home. 

“Ralph...” Anastasia tried.

“Don’t.” Ralph snapped. Anastasia sighed, making Ralph feel even worse. “I’m sorry. Snapping at you wasn’t called for.” 

Anastasia gave him a half smile and reached over to grab Ralph’s hand. “We’ll figure this out, okay?”

 

***

The day of Jack’s court trial, Ralph sat towards the front on Jack’s side. The officer’s wife sat on the other side. Apparently, Jack had hit the officer so hard that he fell and hit his head off of a car, causing a concussion. Ralph didn’t know that until after he visited Jack while they had him in holding. 

After a visit with Gregory in jail, Ralph found out that Gregory officially disowned his son. Anastasia was quick to offer Jack a place to live until he was old enough to move out. It was the least she could do because she didn’t have enough for Jack’s bail. 

The judge sat down and so did the rest of the crowd. Jack stood in handcuffs, his attorney next to him. Though he had a calm expression on his face, Ralph knew that Jack was silently panicking; or at least that was how he imagined how Jack might feel.

“Jack Merridew, you are sentenced to five years in prison for the assault of Officer Alexander Bennington.” The judge said.

It felt like the air was sucked from Ralph’s lungs. Five years in prison. Ralph watched as everyone got up to exit the courtroom. Ralph stood up, keeping his eyes trained on Jack. He was doing his best to memorize what Jack looked like before he was locked up. He didn’t know when he was allowed to visit Jack. 

“We have to go.” Anastasia said gently. She put her arm around Ralph and guided him out of the building. Ralph’s eyes were nearly lifeless as he just allowed her to guide him around. He didn’t know what was going on anymore. It felt like everything had just been taken from him. Like the happiness that he had worked so hard for was ripped away from his grasp, leaving him vulnerable to the sadness of his life.

“How about we go grab lunch?” Anastasia said softly. Ralph didn’t answer. He didn’t feel like lunch. He just wanted to go home and lock himself away in his bedroom. Anastasia put Ralph in the car and buckled his seatbelt for him before getting in on her side. She knew this side of Ralph well. This was the same way he was when he’d found out that he’d lost his parents in the war. He had the same look in his eye, so she knew how fragile he was in that state. “Is Dairy Queen okay?” She tried again.

Ralph looked at her. “I guess.” His voice was monotone. She nodded her head and drove on.


	11. Epilogue

Five and a half years. That was how long it had been. There was no communication between the two. Jack didn’t want to write Ralph and keep him from living a happy life. He hated the idea of Ralph finding someone new, but he knew that if he didn’t get ahold of him that Ralph moving on would be consequential to his own actions. He knew he should have at least written something, but he didn’t want to distract Ralph from graduating high school and getting on with his life.

Ralph hadn’t seen it that way. He still lived in the same house as before, only this time alone due to Anastasia's death. She died of cancer three years before Jack was released, making Ralph feel truly alone. He finished college at the top of his class and became a teacher, but he didn’t move onto any other men. He was still holding onto the small shred of hope that Jack would call him and ask if he could see him again. It was ridiculous and he knew that, but he wouldn’t allow himself to get over Jack. 

Jack didn’t know what he was doing in front of that house. He didn’t even know if Ralph still lived there. He wanted to go up the door and throw it open the way he used to when he was younger. He wanted to see if Ralph had changed in any way. Was he still short and scrawny? Had he become a beefy man? 

Jack walked up the lawn, hesitating at the door. The same door he waited at while Ralph was running late for their first date. The same door he slipped through the morning of the protest. He raised his hand and knocked gently on the door. There was no answer. He knocked again, only to receive the same results. He turned around, disappointed. Just as he reached the bottom step a black car pulled into the driveway.

He paused as a man got out of the car. He was relatively short, muscular and he looked very tired. His blonde hair was a mess as he pulled his bag from the passenger seat. Jack felt his heart rate pick up when he realized that it was Ralph. 

Ralph turned around and dropped his bag on the ground. Jack looked the same for the most part. His hair was about the same length, he was taller and much more built than before. Ralph stared at him for a solid minute before his legs started moving. He felt his eyes well up in tears as he threw his arms around Jack. 

“You stupid son of a bitch, I can’t believe you never wrote me.” He choked out through his tears. Jack wrapped his arms around the smaller man. “I’ve been waiting for you for so long, I thought you forgot about me.” 

Jack breathed in Ralph’s scent, holding him tighter as he pressed a kiss to his temple. 

“Forget you? Never.”

 

The End


	12. Authors Note

Hello readers! (if there are any of you) If you've made it this far, congrats on reading my crappy English project. I hope you enjoyed it, however that is not the purpose for this note. I have been debating on doing two prequels to this fanfic. One of them would be Ralph's journal written by the character and the other would be about Jack being a badass dude. If you are interest drop a comment in the comment section. 

Yours Truely,   
Sans xx


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